Acculturating autocrats: Tracing compliance with the international counter-terror regime through an analysis of Chad and Libya, 2000-2016

Abstract

Compliance with international regimes is a common occurrence in global politics. States often converge towards specific and shared interests and thereby construct principles, norms, rules, and procedures that state behavior within these issue-areas. International regimes encourage states to make changes to their domestic and foreign policies in order to orderly harmonize cooperation, reinforced by benefit. After 9/11 and in the context of global concerns of the international security environment, the international counter-terror regime (ICTR) has induced states to converge towards action regarding terrorism. This regime rests upon specific sets of principles, norms, rules, and procedures aimed at organizing, governing, and rewarding state behavior within this issue-area. As such, this thesis examines why and how authoritarian states comply with the international counter-terror regime in order to receive various economic, political, and military benefits that reinforce their maintenance of political power. Through a lens of constructivism and the method of process-tracing, the work offers in-depth analysis of two case studies, namely Chad and Libya ( 2000-2016). The purpose of the study is to understand compliance in the international system beyond power politics and rational choice by demonstrating how agents use identity, beliefs, ideas, and norms to reproduce international regime structure and influence the behavior of other participating states. With these cases as evidence, the thesis illustrates how authoritarians use global politics and international relations to reproduce their political power at home.

Department

Political Science Department

Degree Name

MA in Political Science

Graduation Date

2-1-2019

Submission Date

12-12-2018

First Advisor

Sunday, James

Committee Member 1

Oberle, Holly

Committee Member 2

Elnur, Ibrahim

Extent

133 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

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